Partying Beyond Bandra

Bandra has emerged as the most sought-after hangout zone in the last few years,owing to the variety it has on offer in terms of recreation and eateries. Even as a string of restaurants on Carter Road,Pali Naka and Bandra Reclamation find it hard to accommodate the patrons who frequent them,the neighbouring areas of Khar and Santracruz have steadily turned into preferred spots for restaurateurs.

Fellas Cafe,with focus on health foods,board games and a causal setting,opened on 14A Road,Khar,a year ago. The cafe,on the rooftop of Hotel Executive Enclave on Ambedkar Road,Khar,is popular for screening live football and cricket matches and among the younger crowd,which wants to escape the din of traffic. A small garage off Linking Road in Santacruz was also the choice for Sushi Cafe when it decided to extend its home-delivery business. The popular Bengali-Mughlai eatery from Kolkata,Arslan,too,chose to set shop in Khar,off the SV Road. Extremely popular among college students and working professionals,WTF! and Jughead’s are at walking distance from the Khar station.

One of the obvious advantages of looking at the rather quaint neighbourhoods of Santacruz and Khar is their proximity to Bandra. These eateries have thus found an audience in those who live and work in these neighbourhoods,in addition to the ones who swear their loyalty to Bandra but may not find seating space at their preferred hangout. Even in the non-peak hours,places such as WTF!,Jughead’s and Arslan attract patronage.

With the rent comparatively lower in Khar and Santacruz,the restaurants can avail a space larger than what they could possibly afford in Pali Naka or Linking Road. “It’s good to be away from the crowd,noise and pollution,” says Anupam Adarsh,co-owner of Fellas Cafe. “We offer health food in a location that has a bigger outdoor area than indoors,” she adds. Other aspects that affect customer service — such as parking space,licences and permits — are also a lot easier to manage outside of Bandra,points out Kishore DF,owner of The Big Nasty and the WTF!. A case in point is Zenzi,which had to shut shop despite its popularity.

More recently,an entire cluster of restaurants in Pali Naka,which had extended their property to accommodate outdoor seating,had Mumbai’s municipal corporation raze down the illegal portions. “In Bandra,there are too many issues to contend with and very limited space,” explains Kishore,whose WTF! is nestled between residential buildings in the cozy bylanes of Khar.